Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by smanders:

I've been meaning to review this one for awhile, but am just now getting around to it. Wow, I wish I hadn't waited so long! This is a great representation of the Tripel Style: cloudy orange with a bulbous head, intricate lacing, and that complex Belgian Tripel aroma. Fresh flowers, sugar, spice, and yeast. Yum! After the first sip, while you're still enjoying the intense flavors, you'll be mellowed by the warmth of the 9% abv. Don't be put off. Continue to enjoy because this one only gets better as it goes along. At only $7.99, this will be a regular purchase from now on. Enjoy!

More User Reviews:

Appearance - Nice, big white puffy head atop a beautiful thick orange body. The liquid almost illuminates the bottom of the glass.

Smell - The wonderful baker's yeast is evenly mixed with some strong, rindy orange. The traditional spices are present along with a hint of alcohol. This nose is very balanced.

Taste - Heavy on the powdery pepper, otherwise pretty much what you'd expect from the terrific nose. This one is very sharp on the tongue. The orange is acidic and demands that the ale be sipped. The yeast is packed tightly.

Mouthfeel - A bit bigger than medium-bodied with a prominent sting of alcohol and some nice, very mature carbonation.

Drinkability - This is my idea of an Abbey Tripel. It is sharp from all angles, has some beautiful carbonation, and goes down extremely well.

Update - It's not often that I find this beer but came across one in early Jan 2010 (probably a 2009 vintage) so had a chance to re-enjoy. The only thing I would add is that the appearance of the poor was much more pleasing, otherwise everything else is the same as my initial review. The spices are huge, the punch is definitely highly-charged orange, and the mouthfeel is out of this world.

Whoa, we've got a gusher! Luckily I was prepared and decanted slowly into a large snifter. The color is a slightly cloudy gold which might be just a shade darker than most Tripels I have seen. Even with the slow pour, a dense, pillowy, just off-white head debuts at 3 fingers and shrinks slowly. The carbonation is copious and furious and weaves between fine yeast sediment. Lacing left on the glass is clumpy, sticky, and intricate.

The smell contains fruity esters and spice from the yeast, aromas of candied pineapple, banana, crisp Granny Smith apple, pepper, clove, and just a little pine. White grape, golden raisin, and caramel are also found in the bouquet. It is a sweet smell, but with just enough yeast and hops to balance the sweetness.

Ooh, the taste is nice. Caramel and candied fruit land on my lips at first, followed by a burst of clove and peppery spice and a fruity Belgian yeast twang. All sorts of fruit flavors abound - banana, pear, green apple, white grape, mango. The finish is nicely dry for the style with an earthy hop bite.

The mouthfeel is crisp and effervescent while at the same tome possessing some medium cream tones. A nice nip from the spiciness and a decently puckering finish complements the creaminess, but just a little too much of the sweet meat is left on the none at the end of the sip.

This is a very drinkable treat with a well-hidden a.b.v. I do not drink Tripels all that often, but this is definitely one that I will look for again when I am in the mood for this style.

A: A slightly hazy pale golden beer. There head is made of fine white bubbles that leave thick sticky lacing on the glass.

S: A strong orange aroma with a medium amount of pepper followed by a medium-low honey aroma. There is a light malt aroma and a floral alcohol aroma.

T: Strong citrus flavor with a bit of pithy bitterness that has me thinking it was brewed with bitter orange peels. As in the nose there is a medium pepper phenol. There is a medium hops bitterness with floral and spicy hops flavor. The balance is fairly bitter but there is a light honey-like malt sweetness.

M: A medium bodied beer with a very strong level of carbonation.

A: very citrusy and spicy beer with orange and pepper dominating the flavor and aroma. A nice balance of all the flavors a tripel should have orange, pepper, honey ad alcohol.

750 ml bottle, corked and caged, served chilled into a St Bernardus goblet. Served chilled in order to spend an hour, or so, of slow sipping in order to enjoy the complexities to emerge as it warms.
Appearance: Hazed peach body with a restrained, bonewhite head that tops the goblet with a small tight head. Sheet lacing eventually gives way to streaks of island chain lace.

Drinkability: I should have known not to begin drinking this one chilled. Flavors and aromas don't fully come forth until it warms considerably. Lots of complexity going on with this one. A solid Belgian Tripel, but I was expecting more.

11.2 ouncer. No freshness dating exhibited. Pours a cloudy, hazy muddy shade of light brown, moderate white head and not leaving much lacing. Nose is fruity, musty, nutty, also alcohol present. First sip was kindoff sharp and biting, 9% clearly showing its fangs, as it warmed and mellowed, the flavors started to come out and shine. This flavorful brew, showed notes of nuts,fruits, yeasy phenolics. A Slight astrigent note also came foward. This is a Complex and interesting triple, certainly worth a try and worth trying over and over for lovers of the style.

Poured a dusty deep golden color with an initially billowing white head that rapidly disappeared to nothing more than a wispy lace on top. Aromas are all over the place. Hops, bannanas, orange rind, medicinal alcohol, sweet caramelized sugars. Flavor is a lesson in transition. Initial syrupy sweet on the front side, warming alcohol flavors follow, then a bit of spicy bite, finishing with a nicely subtle bitterness. Interestingly, the alcohol warmth is not noticed at the end. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, though somewhat "smaller" than expected. Drinkability is good as well. Quite tasty in its own right and the complexity only adds to the experience.

Well, I kept seeing where many reviews call the look of domestic lights as "like piss", but that is more bias than anything. If you want some TMI about myself, this looks like my piss. I put some points for the good head.

The smell is another story. I is a nice fruity smell that is crisp and strong. Rather inviting for me.

I can taste the alcohol. 9% and you should taste the alcohol. Has a slight difficulty going down, but not much. Slight aftertaste is covered up with the taste of alcohol. I little fruit, but not much. Rather unique for the taste and that is a plus.

Verdict: If you can get by the fact that is actually looks like real urine, try it.

Light brown, tea-like murkiness. Pale head, diminishes quickly, very little lace, some small patches. Aroma is good, tropical fruit, esters, some faint vanilla. Low carbonation, medium body. Flavor is interesting, almost coconut-like fluffiness and style with accents of lime and breadfruit. Husky and perhaps a little yeasty. Some alcohol sense at the close, but well-integrated and slowly building. This is a fairly fascinating beer, some components are unlike any I've ever encountered. Distinct, slightly heavier than some, without a Tripel's dryness. But it is a stand out.

First let me say this one of the best overall tripels I have come into contact with, the type of beer that won't let you wipe a smile off of your face. Appears as a drop of sunshine in my glass with golden orange slightly hazed tone to it, huge mountainous layers of foaming vibrant white head mixed with yeast, leaves an even trickled lace with great head retention on this beast. I must give credit for my selection of this to Hart from the Sharp Edge, because this has been a beer I have overlooked for way too long. Aroma is heavenly with lucious spices along with waves of crescendoing malt tailed by honey richnss wrapped in deep tones of alcohol. Flavor great sweetness from the malt very rich and smooth and warming I truly love this beer simply amazing tripel. Mouthfeel is silky and buttery with carbonation that tickles the senses. Drinkability I could have more of these, but I would fall over when I tried to get off the bar stool.